


History Belongs to the Victors

by ramblingrambler (RamblingRambler)



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, BAMF Uzumaki Naruto, F/M, Female Uzumaki Naruto, Gen, Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama & Uzumaki Naruto Friendship, Looking for home, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Strong Uzumaki Naruto, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:54:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28146420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RamblingRambler/pseuds/ramblingrambler
Summary: Have you really won if you're left standing alone? Naru decides that a moral victory is no victory at all and chooses to sacrifice everything she has ever known in order to go back and try again. After all, history belongs to the victors.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama & Uzumaki Naruto, Namikaze Minato & Uzumaki Naruto, Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina, Team Minato & Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Shisui & Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Kushina & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 16
Kudos: 67
Collections: Foxy fox 🦊





	1. History Belongs to the Victors

Silence lay heavy on the open field, interrupted only by the harsh, rhythmic breathing of a single ninja. A bloodied kunai dangled loosely in her hand as tremors overtook her.

“Kurama?”

“Brat.” She’d never heard the Nine-Tails speak with so much exhaustion. She herself had never felt so numb.

“We won.” She felt detached as she spoke, as though she was not in her body and her voice was not her own. ‘Perhaps I’m dead like everything else’ she thought with a tired snicker. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry or scream. She wasn’t sure she could do any of that, even if she tried.

“...ru… Naru?” Huh. Now he sounded concerned. She’d never heard him speak like that either. “Get it together you stupid girl! We do not have time for your foolishness!” There he was. That sounded better- more like the asshole she was used to. She supposed she should answer him. Say something to him. Maybe pull herself together while she was at it.

“We won Kurama. We won and we’re alive and everyone else is dead.” She scanned the bloodied field and bright warm sun. It was a terrible contradiction that left a sour taste in her mouth. 'So much for pulling yourself together.' She let her eyes slide shut and reopened them in her mindscape. Kurama loomed tall in front of her and she could see the agitation and concern on his face. “You know, I always said you should try not looking so damn angry all the time, but this concerned shit really isn’t a good look on you. Maybe try a happy face, or hey if that doesn’t wor-”

“It wasn’t worth it.” His tired voice cut through her ramblings. She wanted to talk about anything other than that. She wanted to stick her head in the blood-soaked ground- cover her ears and block out the world like she would as a small child. She wanted to go back and forget about everything. Erase each painful death etched into her soul and become someone else. She wanted to go back and change everything. Moments of time flashed through her mind, places and times where one small tweak could have resulted in different ending. A dark, painful laugh forced its way through her. ‘I’ve always wanted more than what I could have. 26 year of life and I still haven’t gotten the message’.

“We could do it.” Naru’s eyes back to his. She must have been speaking out loud. “We could go back. A seal could do it. Even if we fail-”

“If we fail no one would know it.” Their eyes met and he knew without out a doubt that she had already decided, but it was his duty to warn her. It had to be said.

“Understand me Naru. It would change everything. We would be rewriting the entire history of the world and everything you know would be different or not exist at all.” He let his voice drift off before continuing, “We could make things worse.”

“Kurama. We’re the only ones left. We’ve lost _everything.”_ Her voice cracked as it rose in volume, _“_ There _is_ no making things _worse_.”

“You foolish brat! Understand what I am saying to you!” His voice rose to match hers, “you have your memories! Your history!” He watched as Naru spun to turn away from him and let out a quiet sigh as his anger left him. “That is your sacrifice. We would go back, but everything we’ve ever known; all our memories, would be erased alongside the moments that created them. We wouldn’t be going back in time; _we’d be creating a new time_.”

“That’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make. We can’t not try Kurama. Maybe everything will be different or maybe it will all end the same, but we don’t honestly have a choice here. If it’s my survival versus life? Life wins. Every. Single. Time. I have to try- even if it means letting go of everything that shaped me.” Purpose coloured her voice, the prospect of hope giving strength to her shoulders and raising her chin in defiance of their current reality. Kurama could only nod in agreement, and really, what more could be said? She was right. They had to try again. Life had to win.

Naru’s eyes snapped open as the kunai finally slipped from her grasp. Rolling her shoulders back Naru turned away from the blood-soaked wasteland that lay in front of her and began her walk to the last standing base the Alliance had. She had a history to re-write.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you find this story interesting. I was introduced to fanfiction a number of years ago through Naruto, and while I am an avid fanfic reader, I have never actually written anything- either for myself or for posting. That being said, I have spent many hours (perhaps far too many!) imagining different outcomes and scenarios and have been toying around with this idea for a while now. I stopped following Naruto some time ago, so please be aware that I have taken many liberties with canon, and more often than not, toss canon right out the window to suit my own ends.
> 
> This will be a story that covers a number of topics, ranging from war, privilege, emotional and physical abuse (though not in detail, and focused on the consequences and recovery of such trauma), the concept of family and home, and peace. I hope to do these topics justice. Romance is not a focus of this story but as love is part of life, love and relationships will be part of this story. Tags will be updated as required to reflect any changes. 
> 
> Finally, as mentioned, this is my first work. I can't promise this will be any good but I do promise to edit my work before posting. I have written out a fairly thorough timeline and story outline to keep me on track, but I cannot and will not guarantee speedy or consistent posting. I ask that we keep all comments polite- if you have tips, notice grammatical/plot errors, or would like to offer any critiques, then please do so! As this is my first try at writing anything longer than an email I am sure there will be many places for improvement.


	2. The Inheritance of Destruction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The butterfly has flapped it's wings and history is reset. Naru begins her new life surrounded by fire and death. It will be years before she finds home.

Uzumaki Kaito was a strong man, with tanned skin and deep red hair. He was as steadfast as the waves, as powerful as a summer storm, and as bright and relentless as the sun. He was a true reflection of his island nation and the people that he led. He was also at his core, an honest man.

  
Looking out towards his village in that moment he cursed himself of this fact. He wished he had the naivete and optimism that he had often accused his counterpart in Konoha of having, if only to be able to provide hope to his people in this moment. He watched as attack after attack exploded against the barriers erected by the fuinjutsu masters of his village. He watched as each attack left the barrier a little less stable, just as he watched as Kumo forces gained more ground with each passing day.

  
Uzumaki Kaito was an honest man, and while he longed to tell himself and his advisors standing behind him that they would survive this, he could not lie to himself. But Kaito was also steadfast, relentless and strong, so with a final deep breath, the second Uzukage readied himself for the battlefield. Uzushio would fall tonight, and he would fall with it, but not without a fight.

\-----

The ground shook and broke apart. Buildings that once stood proud lay in ruin and the canal that once ran clear and free through the island now ran red with blood. Uzushio was a small nation, a single village on an island surrounded by whirlpools and ocean, but it was a village of immense power and influence.

  
Standing amongst the fallen bodies of his ninja the third Raikage, A, could only stare in regret at the destruction of a once mighty village. War was an unpleasant business but a necessary one all the same. The Uzumaki’s mastery of fuinjutsu had grown to terrifying levels, their kekkei genkai had cut a bloody path through their ranks, and their political and familial alliances to Konoha promised the end of Kumo. In the end, it had been an easy decision to make. Uzushio had to fall and no life could be spared, whether it be ninja or civilian, man, woman or child. It was dirty work and A took no pleasure in it, but he would not, could not, stray from this path. He let his eyes drift along the wreckage as he gave a sharp flick of his wrist.

  
Stepping forward his troop commander began, “The Gold and Silver Brothers have secured the eastern and southern coast lines, while the remainder of our troops have secured the western side. None have escaped.”

  
“Losses?” A children’s playground caught his eye. A lone swing moved gently in the wind. He could almost imagine a child sitting there, could almost see a Kumo child playing on the swing. A sharp frown cut off that train of thought. He was stone, and war, no matter how unpleasant, was necessary. He dragged his attention back to update he had requested.

  
“Significant but expected-” the ninja shifted before carrying on, “- we believe that their Kage ordered a retreat to the village centre for a final stand.”

  
Finally making eye contact with his subordinate, the hulking Raikage raised his hands to tighten the bandana covering his blond hair. “Bring in the Brothers but ensure that the coast lines remain guarded. Kill anyone who tries to escape. We prepare for the final assault.” Pushing the last of his reservations down, A drew in a steadying breath. He would do his duty in the name of his people, for their safety and honour.

  
A began to move when it seemed all the oxygen around him was drawn forward and the world stood frozen. A heartbeat passed. Another followed before a dense, heavy chakra exploded back out, filling the air and overwhelming A’s senses.

  
He knew this chakra. “The Brother’s- now!” he all but gasped out. Fire rained down around him as a giant form began to rise from the ashes of the village. Calling for a retreat of his men, A fueled lightening chakra around himself and rushed forward, Kinkaku and Ginkaku, the Gold and Silver Brother’s- his most dangerous, untamable ninja, flanked either side of him, keeping speed. The form twisted and turned, letting out inhuman sounds, while taking the familiar shape of a fox.

  
“A rematch brother!” A feral grin stretched across Kinkaku’s face. His silver haired brother met his smile with one of his own. They had barely survived their last encounter with the Nine-Tailed demon and had been fantasizing of a rematch for years. They did not plan on losing again, especially with the strength they had gained form their original loss.

  
“Focus!” A demanded as he leapt over the now mangled swing set, “We can’t afford to pass an opportunity to control the nine tails power. I will not lose that weapon!” A jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails demon in Kumo’s possession would forever turn the tides to their benefit. Even as he spoke they could see that the fox’s form was changing, as though it were water being pulled down a drain. It had been mere minutes since it had appeared, but the sealing had begun.

  
“NO!” Ginkaku let out a feral scream, “They’re sealing it away! I want a rematch and they are sealing it away!” The trio picked up speed, but they could feel the heavy chakra begin to lift. The fox struggled and gave off a final agonized scream and then it was gone.

The village centre was a scene of total and complete destruction. A crater had replaced the Kage building and surrounding buildings crumbled into dust. Ninja from both sides were strewn across the field with chakra burns so brutal that it was impossible to tell which side they had fought on minutes prior. None could have survived. Coming to a stop at the top of the crater A and the brothers took in the scene below them.

At the very centre of the crater where a fox once stood lay a child who could only be hours old. Red and blue chakra pulsed around her, weaving in and out of her tiny body. A black seal glowed on her belly, and upon either cheek lay three whiskered scars. Kumo had a jinchuriki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this was a struggle. 
> 
> Already changes have been made. I've introduced the Gold and Silver brothers and have changed their timeline around a bit to suit my purposes.  
> Naru arrives in Uzushio just as it falls. There are a ton of different theories on time travel and because I happen to believe that a person is a collection of memories and experiences, going back in time prevents those experiences from ever happening and therefore you are no longer the person you were. Combining that with Naru arriving as a baby, there is no way she will have those memories, and the amount of chakra used by Kurama ensure that he has no memories of their former future either. In addition, Naru will be shaped by these new experiences and will be a different person to some extent. Nature vs nurture and all that jazz. 
> 
> As always, please feel free to drop a comment. I'm always happy to get feedback!


	3. The Weight of a Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Names carry weight. Sometimes that weight will sink you, but sometimes it grounds you long enough for you to find you feet.

Her schedule was simple. It had been the same schedule for as long as she could remember- wake up, eat, chakra control and manipulation training, taijutsu training, ninjutsu training, lunch, weapons, spar, wash, eat, sleep. One day a week was dedicated to book learning, meditation and healing her tired body. The amount of time dedicated to each discipline changed, but from morning until night, day after day, her schedule remained largely the same.

Her senseis were brutal with her training and rarely held back in their teaching of her. Any complaints were dealt with swiftly and the girl had learned early on in life that questions and opinion were not welcomed, after all, she was a weapon in need of honing, not a child in need of learning.

She was a quick study, already a strong and capable ninja despite her young age, but it was not enough. Kumo needed a weapon, a controlled and loyal jinchuriki, able and willing to do the bidding of the village but she refused to tap into the power that lingered beneath her skin, claiming that it was out of reach to her, that there was no connection. They knew it was a lie but for all the pain and teaching they inflicted onto her, they could see the fire still sparked in her eyes, the rebellion she held back when she was knocked down, the hate that burned when they called her girl, or jinchuriki. It was a battle of wills, and no matter how many pieces they shattered her into, she refused to let those pieces drop.

\------

The Third Raikage leaned over his large ornate desk, letting his arms take his weight. The files under his fists crinkled in protest. His anger was palpable and reached every corner of his office, stifling his guards hidden in the shadows. Aikuda Arata knelt in front of his Kage, tension running down his spine. He kept his dark eyes focused on the small blemish on the desk’s front leg and his jaw clenched as he mentally rehearsed the report he was about to give. He was a tall, dark man, with bleach blond hair reminiscent of his heritage, easy to anger and known amongst his peers for explosive violence, but in this moment, he was meek and silent, cowed in the face of the anger radiating off the man before him. Failure, no matter how spun in gold it may be, was still failure and he would pay dearly for it.

He began quietly, “Raikage-Sama. The jinchuriki has been progressing quickly. She shows prodigal skill in ninjutsu and will be a valuable weapon in a few more years.” His voice echoed in the silent room and he resisted the urge to raise his eyes, “With more time-”

“Time?” A cut him off in a quiet fury. “More time? Our people are _starving,_ we’ve already lost one war and the third war is just beyond the horizon. Our children are out there playing ninja and dying for their efforts and you _dare_ kneel before me begging for more _time?_ ” A’s voice didn’t raise above conversation level, but each word was tight with repressed anger. “It has been 5 years. Nearly 6 Arata! I was promised the perfect weapon and that expectation _has. Not. Changed_.” He punctuated each word with a slam of his fist and took pleasure in seeing Arata flinch each time his fist hit the table. Breathing through his teeth A fought to calm himself. “Kinkaku.” He bit out, “Report.”

Where Arata was tense, kneeling before his leader, Kinkaku and his brother held themselves loosely, leaning against the wall of the office, looking for all intents and purposes bored. Tilting his head, his long golden hair fell to the side. “It’s like he said. The Kyuubi’s chakra is there just under the surface but she won’t use it.” His voice was as uncaring as his body language. “She’s in control.”

“Then break her damned spirit.” A roared, tenuous patience finally snapping. Staring down at his desk A resolutely ignored the files that stared back up at him, mocking him for his failures, outlining just how outclassed his ninja forces are in the face of Konoha. “Do whatever it takes. We need her loyalty, and we need the demon, and you will do whatever it takes to secure that or so help me, you will not live to regret your failures. Get out.” With that Arata rose and followed the brothers out the door. Tomorrow would be a new day.

\--------

The next evening the girl lay on her bamboo sleeping mat drifting off into a restless sleep. Her senseis had been more brutal than usual, testing her body’s and chakra’s limits, and shoving her far past them. Opening her eyes to a familiar setting, she let her nose wrinkle at the humidity that greeted her. Dark, stagnant water rippled as she stood in the cavernous space, listening to the echoes of dripping water. Behind metal bars, the fox opened his eyes.

He let the silence hang in the air before letting his annoyance get the better of him. “Begone mortal. I have neither desire nor time to be disturbed by the likes of you.” Haughtily, he swept one of his long tails around to lay over his closed eyes.

She tilted her head, “Forgive me, but I think all you have is time.” She held herself still as a giant, clawed paw reached through the gates to swipe at her, just a hairs width away from reaching her. She certainly had his attention now. “They want me to use your chakra Kyuubi-san.”

“The stupid apes don’t know what they want. They think they can control _me?_ Use me as a weapon? One day I will be free, and I will eat you all.” He gnashed his teeth, already dreaming of the moment.

“You tried that already. May I suggest you focus on chewing your food properly? For future reference of course.” She said it lightly, almost an afterthought, knowing that it would set off the fox. Of all her senseis it was the Gold and Silver Brothers that he hated the most, seeing their survival as a personal failure of his. He once again threw himself at the bars reaching to try and cut the girl into ribbons.

It was not the first time they had met and had in fact become a regular occurrence when her training left her body broken and bleeding and his chakra swirled through her body in an effort to heal her. Today’s training required more of his chakra than usual and even in the safety of her mind she could feel her body burn as bones knitted themselves back together and skin stitched itself closed. He was a fearsome creature, temperamental and mocking, and more often than not would either ignore her or blast her out of her mindscape, startling her awake. Occasionally though, if she asked an interesting enough question, he would humor her and tell stories of his conquests and the destruction left behind. He would proudly share stories of the ninja who faced him and perished for it and explain in detail just how he would destroy all those who wronged him and lived once he escapes his current prison. It would usually end long rant on how much he hated her. Oddly, she found his hatred towards her easier to stomach than the hatred of her sensei’s and the villager’s. Their hate pierced her soul, sticking to her skin like oil, while the Nine-Tails hated almost everyone and everything with equal enthusiasm. She wondered if that was normal and found humor in the irony that it was a demon’s hate she found comfort in. It was this line of thought that prompted her next question.

“Do you have a name Kyuubi-san?” It startled his angry ranting into silence. She prompted him again, this time with discomfort and curiosity speeding up her words “you said you are not a weapon. Weapons do not have names.” She felt her heart thumping against her chest, her instincts told her to flee. “Do you have a name Kyuubi-san?” Her mouth clicked shut but she forced herself to stand still. Finally, the fox answered her, more subdued than she could recall ever seeing him.

Carefully, he answered her. “I do have a name.”

Allowing that answer to stand, she felt her shoulders slump forward. She brushed her short blond hair out of face watching her reflection in the dirty water do the same. She steeled herself and began again. “I don’t have one. A name that is.” Two years earlier, when she was a much younger and naïve child, she had asked her senseis if she had a name and she paid dearly for that lesson. She never dared ask again.

“You have a name.” Her bright blue eyes snapped up to meet his red ones, her childish features frozen in shock and hope. “You are an Uzumaki. They once called you Naru.”

He let his tails swish lazily behind him, unsure of what possessed him to say this to the girl. Unsure of how he knew this. He paid extraordinarily little attention to the happenings of the world outside of his jail cell, and only vaguely recalled the day, nearly 6 years prior, when his old jailer died, and he was locked away into an infant. He remembered Mito well, her iron clad chains that held him still, and the Uzumaki life force that thrummed through her body. The girl that stood in front of him now did not use chains, but her life force was the same and her iron will may oof well have been chains. It didn’t explain how he knew her name, but he chalked it up to having heard it from Mito in passing. The Uzumaki liked to plan things and talked incessantly about these plans. Sealing him into this child, must have been planned, just a little sped up when Kumo razed the village to the ground. The years between Mito’s death and now were tinged in a strange, overwhelming exhaustion and he slept through the earlier years, only waking when he felt a pull on his chakra.

“The Uzumaki were disgusting beasts of Uzushiokagure, known for their sealing techniques. If they weren’t all dead already, I would return to their island and burn it to the ground, taking pleasure in their screams. I would eat them all! One at a time! I would ensure they suffered ten-fold for the humiliation they brought upon me!” Imagining revenge always made him feel better. It was one of the small pleasure’s he had left.

“I had a clan.” She said in a daze, no longer paying attention to the fox’s ranting. _Naru, my name is Uzumaki Naru and I had a clan._ It felt like a puzzle piece had slotted into place, filling her with a sense of purpose. She had a clan and a village _and Kumogakure took that from her_. Her rapturous joy was burned away by a swell of hatred. She felt altogether too hot and too cold and a surge of power clouded her mind, but one thought rang out clearly ‘ _Kumo needed to pay’._

“ _Control yourself human!”_ and the swirl of emotion stilled. Gasping for breath Naru stared at the fox demon who stood to his full height, tails whipping back and forth behind him. “They want you to draw on my chakra. I will not be used as a tool for these flesh bags because you were too _weak_ to collect your emotions.”

“Tell me everything you know! Please!” Desperation clawed her throat and Naru felt dizzy at all the emotions rising in her belly. She had been trained to lock her emotions away, to become a perfect weapon, always with a clear head. She had mostly succeeded in at least masking heavy emotions and accepting the hurts she endured as part of her life but the knowledge that she had a future stolen away from her left Naru on shaky ground.

“No.” He gave a childish sniff and turned his snout up at her. Baby flesh bag mortals did not make demands of him. He opened a single eye to peak at the mortal girl, “Be gone.” Annoyance built up in him. She was staring at him with shiny blue eyes. “Uzushio was a ninja village in the country of whirlpools.” Maybe a few details would rid him of this annoyance. Her mood swings tired him, and he wanted to sleep. “Mito was an ugly ape of a container born to Uzushio but mated with a fool of a man in Konohagakure. If he still lives, I will find him and feast upon his flesh. Now leave. I wish to sleep.” He closed his eyes resolutely and swept one of his tails to cover his eyes once more, determined to ignore the child in front of him. Moments passed before a quiet thank you reached his ears. Opening his eyes, the girl was gone, and he was alone. The Nine-Tailed fox settled in for his nap. He hated speaking to mortals. Their flighty emotions always left him with a headache.

That night Naru fell into a deep sleep, dreaming of warm salty air from the ocean, and of a forest with towering trees and deep green leaves, the bright sun filtering down on her as she lay in soft, scratchy grass as a stream gurgled nearby. She dreamt of people calling her name and of an overwhelming joy that sat in her stomach and made her glow- a life beyond daily training and a battle between humanity and becoming an empty weapon. When she awoke the next morning, purpose strengthened her spine. She would find a home and people to fight for and protect. People that made her glow. She was more than just jinchuriki. More than a weapon of war.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beat this chapter out in an hour and I am inordinately proud of it.  
> All mistakes continue to be mine.


	4. Save Yourself, All the Heroes are Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Freedom is so close she could touch it

Things progressed quickly the next morning.

  
Naru woke with purpose. She had a name, a family, a history and a future and it was a novel experience for the young girl who until that point knew her only purpose in life was to fight for a village that wouldn’t name her or claim her as a ninja of their own. Until that point, she was nothing more than a kunai that would be used until it broke and left on an empty battlefield forgotten. Her dreams showed her a future she didn’t even know was possible and she knew she had to escape. They were becoming desperate for her to use the Kyuubi’s chakra and it was only a matter of time before more forceful measures were used.

  
She understood that her time had run out when, instead of the normal knock signifying her morning meal, the door was thrown open to reveal Arata, an easy smile on his face. In four short strides he crossed the room and dragged her small body up and onto her feet. Arata was a giant of a man, his hands easily covering the entirety of her thin shoulders.  
Pushing down the swirl of emotions that had made themselves at home in her that night, Naru dutifully followed him out. The Nine-Tails fox may have hated the Gold and Silver Brothers the most, but it was Arata that she hated with a passion unmatched. The brothers were brutal, and had little care for anything outside each other, but they respected skill, something they could admit Naru had in spades. Arata though- he was vindictive and violent. He aimed to cause Naru as much pain as possible and took his life’s problems out on her at every available opportunity, using an array of lightening based techniques at his disposal. His presence this morning, instead of the brother’s, coupled with a startling change in schedule promised an unpleasant experience.  
She steeled herself for what was to come. I am Uzumaki Naru of Uzushio. It rang in her head like a prayer.

  
\-----

  
Her lungs seized and she struggled to draw in a breath. Naru watched with tear glazed eyes as yellow lightening chakra jumped from her skin, leaving smokey burns behind. The electricity faded away and her seizing muscles collapsed into the restraints that held her to the chair. Her usually tan skin was ashen and damp with sweat. Angry burns peaked out beneath the elbow length sleeves of her shirt and she felt dizzy with pain. She was entirely correct in her expectation of a painful day, but instead of training, they opted to push her body’s healing abilities to the limit in hopes she would unconsciously draw on the Kyuubi’s chakra to stop the pain. They weren’t wrong with that line of thinking- she could feel it welling beneath her skin and forcefully pushed it away, wheezing out a broken laugh instead. Let them kill her, she had no intention of becoming Kumo’s war dog.  
No matter how talented a ninja she may be, even with the chakra of the Kyuubi and her Uzumaki heritage strengthening her, there was only so much a 5-year-old body could handle before it began to fail faster than it could heal. Arata let out an agonized scream of frustration. The girl lay limply against the restraints unconscious and fighting for breath. His sensitive ears could hear the stutter in her beating heart. He towered above the girl, shoulders heaving in exhaustion and bleached hair in disarray. Reaching up to straighten out his jacket and hair, he spun on his heal while motioning for a medic-nin to come forward.

  
“Get her in working order. I need her awake and aware when I return in an hour.” With that he left the room. He needed a smoke before he ripped the girls throat out for laughing at him as she collapsed.

  
Arata couldn’t understand it. Kumo was already in possession of two other jinchuriki. Unstable and incomparable in strength they may be, they were of Kumokagure blood and loyal until death and that accounted for far more than he thought the Raikage gave credit. If only they could control their demons… Having them break down and destroy everything in their path was a problem for sure, but surely it was better than the insolent girl he left tied to a chair. She was holding back on them. Purposefully sabotaging his efforts to access the Kyuubi’s power. Settling himself on a bench outside the Kumo Intelligence Building, Arata lit his cigarette, mourning the fact that they didn’t keep at least one other Uzumaki alive when they razed the village to the ground. Their sealing work could have handled the other two demons and they could have found a new host for the Kyuubi. In his mind, most of his problems could be traced back to that damnable village. Breathing in the smoke, he let his mind drift away from the problem at hand.

  
Back inside the young medic worked diligently on the girl before him. Her heart was still beating in an erratic fashion and he expected that when she woke in the next hour she would be in a lot of pain, but it was to be expected and he did nothing more to ease her suffering beyond undoing the chakra resistant restraints at her chest. Afterall, he reasoned, you didn’t end up in this particular room by accident, and he had heard rumors about this girl- a demon container and an outsider. He had no sympathy for her. Turning away from the still girl, he moved to return his first aid supplies to their rightful place, unaware of the red, slitted eyes that snapped open when he turned his back.

  
Moving with a silence that had been beat into her, Naru flexed her arms, channeling more of the Nine-Tail’s chakra into her muscles to overpower the remaining chakra-restraints. They broke apart with hardly a flutter, and she stood with intention. She would not be staying for a second round. Crossing the room, she found herself before the crouched medic-nin and before he could register the sound of a now steady heartbeat, Naru jerked his neck with a violent twist. She moved quickly, not allowing herself to consider her actions or next steps. Taking stock of the pack before her, Naru quickly henged the dead medic into a picture-perfect version of herself and used the restraints to keep his cooling body on the chair. She packed away his supplies and assumed the look of the medic-nin. She needed to leave before anyone noticed the switch. By her count, Arata would be done his smoke break in 45 minutes, giving her hopefully enough time to disappear. A deep breath later, she had her hand on the doorknob and walked out with purpose, a mindless, pleasant smile on her borrowed face.

  
She kept the smile on her face as she walked down halls and up three flights of stairs, tracking the fading scent of Arata, until she was approaching the front doors of the Intelligence building. A swipe of her new identification card and she was out. As each step brought her away from the building and deeper into the village, she began to slowly morph the henge into a new face, on the off chance that someone would recognize the dead ninja. She took measured breaths, allowing the exhale to escape open lips. 15 minutes later there was no trace of her in the village. 20 minutes following, an alarm was raised, and the top ninja of the village were called in for a briefing. The Kyuubi’s jinchuriki was gone, in search of a place to call home and people to make her glow.

  
\-----

People have a unique ability to adapt. Where things may have once seemed strange or scary, given enough time, people grow to accept things as part of their daily life. War was no exception.  
The Second Ninja War had started with the fall of Uzushio and carried on for five long years. It was a war that began with bloody battles that left ninja forces depleted and transformed to accommodate these losses in the final three years. Ambush and espionage became the norm, with small factions of ninja entering enemy territory to destroy it from within, allowing the great villages time to collect their depleted resources. A truce had been signed, signifying the end of the war, but it didn’t take long before tensions were bubbling over once more and violence was breaking out along borders with greater frequency. The stage was set for the Third Ninja War, it was only a matter of which village flinched first.

  
For the smaller countries however, the early days of the war had destroyed their daily lives and they never recovered. The great battles destroyed their villages and left their land barren. Orphans grew in numbers by the day, and once vibrant villages fell silent. Neighbours turned on each other, looking for any slight advantage so that they could ensure their family didn’t go to bed hungry that night. Children were sent to the great villages to train as ninja’s and earn some money, and everything from jewelry to secrets were sold to the highest bidder, regardless of who suffered in return. People had a unique ability to adapt, and in times of war, people hardened their hearts and adapted.

  
It was in this world that Naru found herself in. The Land of Hot Water was once a beautiful country, with natural hot springs boasting medicinal properties. It bordered the Land of Fire and was separated from the Land of Lightening by only a small country in between, and it depended on the tourism dollars from both great countries to flourish.

  
War had not been kind to the small nation, caught between warring superpowers. Naru had been trained to survive, to be a predator amongst prey. She could hunt and cook for herself, knew where to look for a safe location to sleep, how to lie, steal and cheat, and how to present herself as an unassuming 6-year-old girl to cater favour. But you couldn’t hunt when the earth was left barren and animals long since fled, you couldn’t steal when there was nothing left to take and being a 6-year-old child was nothing except a burden people couldn’t afford to carry.

  
Crouching on the limb of a tree outside a tiny village Naru let out a deep breath, allowing her chakra fall through her body and expand out until it could reach no further. She held it, analyzing each chakra force it captured for spikes in use, and sensing only the weak, shallow pools of civilian chakra. Letting her chakra fade Naru collapsed roughly against the trunk of the tree, pulling her knees to her chest and pushed her dirty blond hair away from her face. She had been evading a Kumo team for the last few days and it seemed that she finally lost them. She had a decision to make- she could risk staying in the village for a day or two or press on towards the border. They both had dangers- hunger and exhaustion weakened her but staying in a village for a night would make her a stationary target. A sharp cramp in her stomach made the decision for her. Swearing, Naru pulled herself up and jumped off the tree, making a beeline to the village.

  
Hunger and exhaustion sat heavy on her bones, demanding her attention. She had been on the run for months now, desperately trying to make it to the Land of Fire and stay one step ahead from the Kumo ninja hunting her. Her short blond hair grew long and wild, weighed down by dirt and grease, and while she had always been small, only ever being given enough food to ensure she didn’t starve, the months had been hard on her and she took on a frail appearance. The baggy t-shirt and ripped pants she had liberated highlighted her sorry state. Fortunately, looking like she was on the verge of death had its benefits. She could often find at least one woman with a young daughter, who looked at her and saw her child reflected back. Her voice- raspy from disuse, scarred cheeks, and large shiny blue eyes added to her pathetic image and broke even the most hardened of mothers, earning her a small meal and bed for the night. This village was no different.  
Spotting her mark in the distance, Naru slowed her steps and began her transformation. Her confident steps faltered until she scuffed the earth, barely lifting her feet. She let her eyes droop and her shoulders slump forward as she wrapped her thin arms around her stomach. She continued her slow walk forward, moving past the woman until her legs gave out and she let herself fall to the ground with a pitiful gasp. A much louder gasp and the fluttering of hands on her shoulders and face followed quickly after. ‘Hook, line and sinker.’ She really was too good at this.

  
\-------

  
An hour later found Naru scrubbed clean and breaking bread with the woman and her four grey-faced children. There isn’t much to go around- they feed her anyways, while guilt makes it's home in her gut. Later, she finds herself sitting in front of the small fireplace soaking in the warmth as exhaustion pulls at her very soul- she is so very tired. The woman settles next to her once the children have gone to bed and she speaks. She tells Naru of the war that devastated their country and left her without a husband, of her eldest child who has always been smart and strong, traits that are welcome in ninja villages where bodies are needed and money is given in exchange. Naru doesn’t say much in return but listens to the woman’s story which sounds more like a confession as she stares into the glowing embers before her. The need to fix it settles in her heart and she would give everything she was to create a world where children stayed children and husbands grew old with their wives and there was more at the table than simple miso broth and stale bread. She doesn’t say any of it out loud- she’s not even sure she’s capable of expressing those thoughts with words but does allow the thoughts to stay with her as her eyes flutter shut.

  
\-------

  
A hand over her mouth, restraints around her wrists, and a thundering heartbeat wake her in the early hours of the morning. She throws her body into action in a desperate bid to throw her captor off of her and receives a shock of lightening in return, locking her muscles in place as electricity coursed through her. Fight drains from her body quickly after that, replaced by deep fiery hatred and dull acceptance. As she’s dragged out of the small house, she sees the woman standing in the corner, tears streaming down her face and a crumpled paper in her fists- ‘a bounty notice’ her mind fills in. ‘I guess last night really was a confession.’ For how bitter the thought is, she finds herself hoping that it was a good bounty- enough to allow her to feed her kids and keep them altogether.


	5. They Were Marked For Death But Couldn’t See The Signs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naru does what she must to survive. The grief will come later.

“So who do you think she is?”

“Don’t matter.” Came the bored response. They were seated around a small fire, having stopped for the evening. They had moved quickly through the night and day and needed to break before the final leg home.

“ _Really_ now. Doesn’t interest you in the slightest-”

“Above my pay grade.” He cut in, attempting to stop the flood of words he was about to be subjected to. He grimaced when it failed and resisted the urge to bang his head against the tree he reclined against. Instead, he pulled out a kunai to twirl around his fingers as a distraction.

“-why a child, a literal child, has a hefty bounty on her head, signed of by the frigging _Raikage_. You honestly aren’t sitting over there lookin’ all stoic and cool, thinking to yourself ‘how the hell does a child catch the attention of the Raikage, sending everyone into a tizzy lookin’ for her and disrupting missions and shit, and needing restraints that got seals on it that don’t make no sense to nobody, not to mention that bounty pay out’,” he gave an appreciative whistle at that, “No questions. None. Just another mission- ‘yes sir, no sir, right this way sir!’”

“Shun. Please. Shut _up._ Just eat your food.” The kunai spun faster.

“Tch. No scope for the imagination. Tsk Tsk Daichi. I thought you were in the Intelligence Corps. Don’t ya know a good ninja asks questions, digs up information,” Shun began to gesture, his arms flailing every which way, as though it added to his point, “-gets answers! So, I’m not sure what it says about you that _you_ -”

“Oh, for the love of- Shut up and listen. It doesn’t matter who she is. What matters is that the Raikage has business with her and that business supersedes all but the highest ranked missions. That all means that _whoever_ she is, she means trouble and death follows trouble. Now. I have a life I want to get home to so no. I don’t give a damn who she is, and if you have any damn sense, you’ll stop asking questions.”

Silence. Blessed silence. Daichi eyed his red-headed companion superstitiously, hoping that he had made his point clear and that Shun would keep his nose out of it, and more importantly stop his _incessant_ chatter. Shun was a good ninja and would make his way up the ranks without much problem, if he only learned how to hold his tongue. Daichi relaxed against the tree appreciating the break in chatter and let the twirling kunai come to a stop, balanced on the tip of his finger. He could hear the chirping of crickets and the deep bass of a toad calling into the evening. While he was always more comfortable in the higher elevations, surrounded by cloud and rock, there was something to be said about the peaceful noises of the forest. If you ignored all the opportunities for ambush hiding behind all the trees that is. But still, it wasn't terrible.

“…I mean we were on a pretty important mission.” Daichi’s shoulders dropped low as though he were about to sink into the ground, _‘I am honestly going to kill him. Kunai right through the head, mission be damned.’_ “Valuable intel mind you, and we had to make a detour for a little girl. Just seems a little strange is all. I mean, a skinny little thing like that can’t be that important- hey do you think this is related to whatever had the village on high alert a few months back?”

Daichi straightened at that, his annoyance flaring into alarm. “You need to stop talking before you say something that might be worth listening to.”

“Why? We’re in Lightening country. I know it doesn’t look like it with the forest and all, but the tree line basically ends here.” Confusion mixed with misplaced confidence coloured Shun’s words.

“And _we_ were just in the Land of Fire.”

Shun dove to his feet, catching on to his meaning, and whipped his head around in search of enemy ninja. “You think there are Leaf bastards hanging around here?!”

Daichi counted to ten. And then tacked on another twenty because he was _so very close_ to stabbing him with the kunai in his hand. He loved the guy like family really, but nobody tested his patience like Shun did. There was a reason why he specifically requested they _not_ work together once they both made chunin. But needs and musts… War had a tendency of forcing one’s hand. “I’m saying that you _never know_ Shun _._ We were in Fire country. We have spies in Fire country. We were specifically sent to collect intel that _our guy_ collected. So what the hell makes you think there are no spies _here_. Now will you _please shut up!”_ His voice may have cracked in desperation at the end there but really it wasn’t his fault. Shun was an annoying bastard so really all blame should be put on his shoulders.

Pulling his eye’s away from Shun, Daichi startled, dropping his kunai when he realized that there were bright blue eyes watching their interaction with a tilted head. He had the distinct impression of a cat determining whether its prey was worth the effort and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out the answer to that question. ‘ _She shouldn’t be conscious.’_ Dread creeped up his spine and even though he thought it was absurd that he, a chunin and proud ninja of Kumo, might be wary of this tiny slip of a girl. Shun’s questions echo quietly in his mind – _just who is she_.

Shun, for all his loudmouth tendencies, really was a good ninja and picked up in the change of atmosphere without prompting. His reaction on the other hand- “Aren’t you supposed to be unconscious?” He pulled out a small vial from his hip pouch and stared at it accusingly, “I think this is expired.” Back to the girl, “The dose I gave you? Three days”, he held up three fingers to emphasize his point, “just enough time to get you back in time for your meeting with the Raikage, and here you are, a whole two days early.” He looked back at his vial, giving the glass a sharp tap, “It’s gotta be expired. I am _so_ filing a complaint when we get back Daichi.”

The inane chatter that annoyed him earlier grounded him now and Daichi was _finally_ able to break eye contact with the girl. He was ridiculously grateful for his friend in that moment, not that he would _ever_ admit it. His own skills always leaned towards espionage and information- quick in-and-out missions that relied on knowledge and quick wits, not the powerful, flashy, combative jutsus that Shun excelled in. It meant that they were very rarely paired up together but, in this case, one of their infiltration agents had collected valuable intel about Konoha’s bases which needed transport, and it was valuable enough to require muscle.

As a bridge agent- a courier that acted as a go-between from agent to spymaster in Kumo, it was his job to get into Fire country and back out with the information intact. The difficulty of the mission coupled with the sensitivity of the intel required a second ninja join as backup. Shun _wasn’t_ ideal because he had the stealth skills of a child mid-tantrum, but he certainly had the fire power to ensure the information in the scroll made it back to Kumo. Getting a tip from one of their informers in the Land of Hot Water about a girl that fit the description of one of their bounties was just a bonus. It shouldn’t have added any difficulty to their mission, particularly when they had already been on the way back without issue.

Shun was completely correct in that there was very little information on the girl- only a description, emphasis on how important it was to the good of Kumo that she be brought back as soon as possible, and that if seen, regardless of mission, it was their duty to make it happen.

Finally, the girl seemed to come to a conclusion and gave a small shrug, causing her oversized t-shirt to shift and hang just off centre her thin shoulders. Standing up and letting his body fall into a loose stance, Daichi shared a quick look and nod with Shun. Mission parameters remained the same- Shun would take point and contain the threat, or, if that wasn’t possible, he was to ensure Daichi had enough time to escape with the intel scroll. 

“Ne, I apologize, but I will not be going back to Kumo.” Daichi thought she sounded apologetic about it, as if she were cancelling lunch plans. And then she was in flames.

\-----

A burst of red chakra exploded out of Naru, over-loading the restraint seals and clearing the last of the toxin from her system. She let the chakra recede back into her body, keeping it just under her skin to strengthen her muscles as she moved to engage the tall blond ninja, trying to contain the power that coursed through her blood and clouded her mind with animal instinct. She couldn’t afford to be sloppy, not with the disadvantage she was facing, not if she wanted to live.

Pulling her fist back Naru let a punch fly, aiming to knock out the blonde one, only to feel a hand grasp at her ankle, yanking her back and into the tree she had previously been settled against. The red head- Shun, was already moving to follow her, leg slamming down into the ground as she sprung out of the way. Together, they moved in to surround her, Shun in front and Daichi behind, and the trio engaged in a tight, vicious taijutsu battle. With her current deficiencies and lack of weaponry, coupled with their obvious familiarity with each other Naru knew she had to end it quickly- the Kyuubi’s chakra did an excellent job at healing injuries and adding speed and strength, but it could not give her body energy or erase the exhaustion in her bones. The fact that they needed her alive was the only advantage she could see.

A particularly sharp jab to her kidney, followed by solid kick to her ribs sent her flying and she landed in a heap by their small fire. She scrabbled back until she hit the trunk of a tree, reaching out to find anything that might help her in that moment and sliced her hand on something sharp. On reflex, she grasped the object- a kunai- and brought it up to meet Shun’s tanto before he could use it to make her yield. Her arms shook with effort of holding him back- gravity was on his side and Daichi was moving in to restrain her. With a grunt of effort, Naru let her kunai slide along blade until the kunai hilt locked it in place. In the same motion, she hooked her knee behind one of his and, tilting her shoulder back, she used the shift of momentum to roll and drive the taller man into the ground, letting his tanto fall to the side and out of reach. The shift in position gave her the upper hand and Naru used him as a springboard to flip high into the air as her hands moved to form a single seal before disappearing in smoke. “Daichi _move!_ ” The desperate warning came too late.

Shun could only watch with wide eyes as Naru performed a Shunshin and re-appeared behind Daichi, pulling the kunai across his childhood friend’s neck. He was moving before Daichi’s body hit the ground.

Devastation made him sloppy, and the lightening technique he released was off centre, hitting Naru enough to make her let out a harsh yelp of pain, but not enough to stop her forward movement. They met again, and taking advantage of her damaged shoulder, he hit it hard enough to drive her backwards, creating the space he needed to release one of his more violent jutsus. Their goal had been to subdue and recapture, but Shun had always been a reactionary person and watching his friend die by the girl's hand filled him with red hot anger. He wouldn't kill her, but he would make her hurt for her crimes.

In his rage he failed to notice the addition of a new chakra signature appearing behind him.

Reflex had Naru throwing her kunai where Shun once stood, flipping backwards in the same movement to create space and evaluate the change of situation. The man caught it, almost lazily, between two fingers. Tilting his head around the weapon, he gave a cheerful grin, as though there wasn’t a dead body laying at his feet. “That wasn’t very nice you know.”

The newcomer was obviously not sent by Kumo, and he hadn't moved against her yet. If she were lucky, they would call a truce and he would continue with whatever mission he was on, leaving her alone. If her life so far was any indication, she was not a lucky person.

Naru said nothing in return but straightened warily into a loose, ready stance, watching as he moved away from the body and closer to her. The man was tall, broad shouldered and had wild white hair that fell well past his shoulders. His appearance and demeanor were almost comical, with his short green kimono top, red haori, impractical wooden sandals and curious forehead protector. All together, it said he wasn’t a threat. _His chakra though_ \- it was cool and heavy and spoke of total control. His identity was unmistakable. “You are Jiraiya of the Sannin.” Her heart was heaving in her chest and her shoulder ached fiercely, but her voice held steady, and her face masked her fear.

His grin grew wider and his voice dropped lower, becoming more dramatic. “Ah! So! You have heard of me!” He struck a kabuki pose, “Yes, tis I! Jiraiya, the one with no equal! Who sees all and hears more- The Great and Gallant Toad Sage!” Naru stood with and incredulous look on her face, head tilting to the side as she watched his antics. “I see I have left you speechless with awe.” He looked inordinately proud of himself and polished his nails on his haori, grin remaining wide on his face.

_‘Right…’_ She took his tone to mean that he had no quarrel with her and let the tension and chakra drain out of her muscles. “…I will be taking my leave now.” She turned away from the eccentric man, pausing only when her eyes landed on the young man whose life she had taken. Guilt and regret surged up from her gut and her fists tightened in an effort to contain it. Now was not the time- she could grieve for their lost lives another day and would carry her actions with her until then. The situation she had found herself in had demanded that they die so that she may live. The part of her that had trained daily for as long as she could remember acknowledged that with cold indifference, but the part that had started to grow within her from the moment she decided she would be her own person- that part mourned their deaths and raged inside of her against the unfairness of it all. Pushing the swell of emotion aside, she rolled her shoulders back and set forward for their packs. She needed supplies. She could sort out her emotions later.

His voice froze her mid stride and held none of the dramatics from earlier. “We haven’t finished our conversation here.” He moved forward, almost an arm’s length away from her before he veered to the left and knelt beside the body of Daichi, patting it down. Without looking at her still frame, he spoke. “Kumo had a spy infiltrate the Land of Fire. They have since been dealt with, but not before they passed on a valuable piece of information to their bridge spy here.” He pulled out a scroll from the vest pocket. “You may have sped up the process for this one, but they were already marked for death. They just didn’t know it yet.” Naru stood frozen, following his every move with a calculated gaze. She took calm, steadying breaths, letting the air escape through parted lips. ‘ _He wants something.’_

He straightened to his full height and moved to face her directly. Idly, she found that he didn’t look so ridiculous anymore. “You know, one of the interesting things about being a spy master are all the stories you hear. Stories about little girls that no one knows anything about. Fearful, desperate whispers, and carefully hidden panic. The sorts of things that hidden villages don’t want their enemies finding out about but need to get the word out about anyways. Those types of stories interest me. Nobody has details, but everyone’s heard about it.” She watched as he turned moved towards the packs and crouched down to pick them apart as he spoke to her in an amicable voice. She felt like the temperature had dropped, like they had moved away from the tree line and up into the clouded, thin air of the mountains. It made her lungs ache and her pulse jump.

“But you see, I am very talented at my job, and I know that Kumo left Uzushio with more than just a victory- they left with a jinchuriki, sealed by an Uzumaki. I also know that there has been no word or whisper about said jinchuriki for six years. Until recently.” He flipped through a Bingo book leisurely before putting it to the side. “Like I said, I am very good at my job, and when whispers started up about the Raikage looking for someone, and bounty papers started showing up in towns with the picture of a little six-year-old girl, _wanted_ by the Raikage- well I’m sure you can do the math on that one.” He finally stopped what he was doing to catch her eyes, and she felt the world disappear. _‘Me. He wants me.’_

“So, tell me little girl, _who are you_?”

She let his question hang in the air, fighting with herself on what to tell him, what to say. In the end, the Kyuubi’s words echoed in her mind- _Uzumaki Mito married a man from Konoha_. Jiraiya was of Konoha. So, she took a deep breath and for the first time in her life, she spoke her name aloud. “I am Uzumaki Naru of Uzushio. Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox.” It was a gamble. She didn’t think he would kill her, but if he did, she wanted those to be her last words. She watched in confusion as a small, genuine smile graced his face.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Uzumaki Naru.”

And in the space of a breath, he went from sitting by packs to giving her neck a quick, solid chop. She didn’t feel him catch her as she fell, or how he gently laid her down to clean up the bloody scene before them. She remained unconscious as he placed a seal on her that would lock her chakra away and would remain unconscious over the four-day trek to Konoha. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A fight scene! I chose to skim over it and let your imaginations do the work for me because it is much harder write it out than I thought. Tips anyone?
> 
> Some notes:  
> -Naru is not recognized by Kumo as one of their own like their other jinchuriki's. She is too strong, and has too much potential. She is also an Uzumaki, a clan that was so deeply feared that total destruction was the only answer, and it is easier to use and abuse someone when they are considered an outsider. As a result, her existence was a tightly guarded secret.   
> -Shun and Daichi were childhood/family friends. They cared deeply for each other while also driving each other crazy and were not bad people. They were simply doing their jobs. I want to show humanity and life on all sides of this war. I believe most people are good people and I want to reflect that in my characters as well.   
> -Jiraiya was on a mission to destroy the intel Sun and Daichi were carrying. He did not know they had Naru with them, but as spy master and a generally smart man, he was able to put the pieces together using prior knowledge and understand exactly who Naru was. Don't be fooled though, he didn't take her because he felt bad, or wanted to rescue her. Konoha will go about it differently, she is too powerful to go unchecked, and jinchuriki is still a weapon. 
> 
> That's all I have for now! Thanks to everyone who commented!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you find this story interesting. I was introduced to fanfiction a number of years ago through Naruto, and while I am an avid fanfic reader, I have never actually written anything- either for myself or for posting. That being said, I have spent many hours (perhaps far too many!) imagining different outcomes and scenarios, and have been toying around with this idea for a while now. I stopped following Naruto some time ago, so please be aware that I have taken many liberties with canon, and more often than not, toss canon right out the window to suit my own ends.
> 
> This will be a story that covers a number of topics, ranging from war, privilege, emotional and physical abuse (though not in detail, and focused on the consequences and recovery of such trauma), the concept of family and home, and peace. I hope to do these topics justice. Romance is not a focus of this story but as love is part of life, love and relationships will be part of this story. Tags will be updated as required to reflect any changes. 
> 
> Finally, as mentioned, this is my first work. I can't promise this will be any good but I do promise to edit my work before posting. I have written out a fairly thorough timeline and story outline to keep me on track, but I cannot and will not guarantee speedy or consistent posting. I ask that we keep all comments polite- if you have tips, notice grammatical/plot errors, or would like to offer any critiques, then please do so! As this is my first try at writing anything longer than an email I am sure there will be many places for improvement.


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